WPIAL Football Quarterfinals Playoff Recaps

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, November 12, 2011 | 12:47 AM

The Chalk Playoffs continue. With only a few surprises in the opening round last week, all but two of the higher seeds were victorious with those two lower seeds being #5 over #4. Here are the game recaps from Quarterfinals Friday from around the WPIAL as the stage is set for the Final Four.

Thanks to Paul Paterra, Mark Uriah, Scott Briggs, Adam Hoerner, Greg Warnock, T.J. DiStefano, Randy Gore, Bob Orkwis, Bob Gregg, Ken Laird, Sam Hall, Mark Schaas, Rob Matzie, Greg Kuntz, Jim Frederick and Bob Barrickman for their help on ALL of the recaps.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA Quarterfinals:

North Allegheny Tigers  35  –  Seneca Valley Raiders  10  
As they did in a week five victory over conference foe Seneca Valley, the North Allegheny Tigers rolled up over 300 yards rushing en route to a 35-10 win against the Raiders in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL playoffs.  Junior running back Alex DiCiantis rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns to lead NA to their 17th consecutive victory and their 10th straight win over Seneca Valley.  North Allegheny quarterback Mack Leftwich toted the ball 10 times, adding another 95 yards on the ground.  Facing the top passer in the WPIAL in Jordan Brown, the Tigers defense forced two interceptions against the Raiders quarterback.  One of those interceptions, a first quarter pick by Brendan Coniker, was returned for a 43-yard touchdown on the Raiders first offense play from scrimmage that put NA ahead 14-0.   Seneca Valley would cut the Tigers lead to 14-10 on a three-yard touchdown run by Forrest Barnes and a 30-yard field goal by Michael Denny early in the second quarter.  However, the Tigers running game would not allow the score to get any closer as DiCiantis scored the next two touchdowns and NA fullback Nick Passodelis capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to bring the final score to 35-10.  Barnes, the elusive tailback for the Raiders, was held to just 28 yards rushing and left with an injury early in the second half.  Brown passed for 172 yards and Troy Witt was his top target, pulling in five passes for 103 yards.  Seneca Valley’s season ends with a record of 8-3, while North Allegheny improves to 11-0 as the Tigers move on to the semifinals to face Gateway.    

Gateway Gators  34  –  Penn-Trafford Warriors  9  
Gateway advances to the WPIAL AAAA Semifnals in convincing fashion over the previously undefeated Penn Trafford Warriors. Gateway did most of its damage on the ground paced by Andre Martin's 111 yards on 13 carries. Quarterback Thomas Woodson added 10 carries for 70 yards and Darin Franklin chipped in with 6 carries for 62 yards. Franklin started the Gateway scoring with a 30-yard touchdown run on a fourth down play with 1:12 to play in the first quarter. He added an 86-yard punt return in the second quarter to put Gateway up 14-0. Franklin did not play in the second half due to knee soreness. Gateway (9-2) assumed command in the second half with a 12-play, 65-yard drive that took 5:20 off the clock to start the third quarter. A 3-yard touchdown run by Patrick Livsey made the score 21-3 and Gateway never looked back. Penn Trafford (10-1) was led on the ground by Quarterback Zach Emerick's 95 yards on 12 carries. Manny Simpson added 71 yards on 23 carries. Gateway's defense pressured Emerick throughout the evening, holding the Penn Trafford quarterback to 38 yards passing.   

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings  31  –  Mount Lebanon Blue Devils  14  
The Central Catholic Vikings got a monster game from running back Damion Jones-Moore and their defense in ousting the Mount Lebanon Blue Devils in a AAAA quarterfinal 34-14 Friday night at North Allegheny high school. Jones-Moore rushed for 302 yards and three scores on 31 carries in the win. Central's defense though, set the tone early for the Vikings. On the opening drive of the game Mount Lebanon's Luke Hagy intercepted a Perry Hills pass and returned it to the Vikings six yard line and it looked as if the Blue Devils were poised to draw first blood. But Terry Totten's defense stood very tall stopping the Blue Devils on four straight downs and getting the football back for their offense. Lebo forced their own three and out and after a short punt the Blue Devils got it again in Central territory at the Viking 31 yard line. But once again the Vikes defense stiffened and took over on downs after stopping Lebo at the 25 yard line. Bouyed by the splendid play of their defense the Viking offense finally got things going late in the first quarter when Jones-Moore with 2:29 to play in the first quarter would scamper untouched from 37 yards out for his first touchdown of the night. Lebos defense hung tough though and it remained 7-0 Vikes until only four seconds remained in the first half when Central's Mitch Maczura would hit a 26 yuard field goal to give Central a 10-0 halftime lead. Out of the break the Vikes extended the lead to 17-0 with 6:16 to play in the third when Perry Hills hooked up with Brandon Farrell from 23 yards out for a touchdown, Farrell with an amazing catch doing a full 360 and actually running / falling backwards into the end zone as he made the grab. Lebo would get on the board just 1:02 later as quarterback Pat Goff found Troy Apke running frre in the Viking secondary and hit him on the run for a 47 yard touchdown pass, the extra point attempt was no good but, Central was flagged for running into the kicker and with the half the distance penalty, the Blue Devils elected to go for two, and converted with Goff scoring on the naked boot-leg, and with 5:14 to play in the third it was 17-8 Central. But Central would answer on the very next play from scrimmage. On first and ten from their own 25, Central ran a draw to Jones-Moore who appeared to be bottled up at the line of scrimmage but he broke a tackle bounced it outside to his left and streaked 75 yards for the touchdown, and a 24-8 Viking lead. Lebo would close to within 10 on a Luke Hagy touchdown run from 14 yards out with 4:53 to play in regulation, but they would get no closer as Jones-Moore would cap the scoring for the Vikes with an 18 yard run with 2:36 to play and we had our final at 31-14. Central improves to 11-0 on the year and they will meet Upper Saint Clair in the semi finals next Friday night. Mount Lebanon sees their season come to a close at 7-4. Also coming to a close the fabulous prep football career of Luke Hagy and Blue Devil fans will sorely miss the third leading rusher in WPIAL AAAA history who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on the night and 4789 yards for his career , good news for Lebo fans he will be on the hardwood in a couple of weeks as the basketball season gets under way. The Vikings outgained the Blue Devils in this game 445-223, and for all the well-deserved talk about that talented Central offense, and they are great, the scary thing for future opponents is their defense might be a little bit better. 

Upper St. Clair Panthers  21  –  Erie McDowell Trojans  14  
This gritty and gutsy contest went down to the game’s final play before the Panthers left Seneca Valley High School with the win. Erie McDowell, who was very efficient on 4th down conversions the entire game, would fail for the only time on the games first drive. The Trojans were stopped on 4th and 1 at their own 35-yard line. Upper St. Clair would march inside the McDowell 5-yard line, before turning the ball over on a fumble. Erie McDowell would then mount a very impressive 21-play drive that lasted 9:29. But when the Trojans tried to pass from the USC 9-yard line, Panthers senior linebacker Bobby Tuttle came up with a huge play, as he intercepted his first pass of the season at the two-yard line and returned the pick to the twenty. Dakota Conwell would make the turnover hurt, capping of the 80-yard drive with an 8-yard TD run with (5:32) left in the second quarter. The point after was missed and Upper St. Clair led 6-0. On the next possession, Erie McDowell would again turn the ball over, fumbling at the Panthers 45-yard line. Conwell would make McDowell pay once again, this time connecting with Mike Wilcox in the back of the end zone on a 22-yard scoring strike. Conwell then hit Zach Deitrick with the two-point conversion pass and it was USC leading 14-0 at halftime. But Erie McDowell, playing without starting quarterback Jarrett Koper, who was injured in the second quarter, would get back into the game behind senior signal caller Anthony Lecce. On 4th & 9 from the Panthers 28-yard line, Lecce hit Greg Garmon on a screen pass, and the senior did the rest, breaking a tackle and scampering into the end zone for the touchdown.  For Garmon, who left this game several times because of a troublesome right hamstring, the touchdown was his 16th of 2011. Erie McDowell would finish the game 7-of-8 on fourth down conversions. But Conwell and Upper St. Clair answered right back. This time Conwell capped off a 7-play 47-yard drive with a 12-yard run to put USC in the lead 21-7. Conwell, who ran for 57-yards and passed for 125, now has 19 rushing touchdowns for the year. But the banged up Trojans wouldn’t quit. Khlique Harris scored on a 15-yard run with (5:38) remaining for the Trojans and Zach Baker’s extra-point brought the score to 21-14. The senior Harris paced Erie McDowell with 74-yards rushing. Upper St. Clair, with Conwell playing on a gimpy right ankle which he injured late in the third quarter, could only manage one first down. The Panthers punted the ball back to McDowell with (1:16) showing on the clock. The Trojans, using short passes from Lecce to his running backs including an injured Garmon, moved up the field. Erie McDowell also took advantage of a personal foul called against Upper St. Clair and Lecce was able to spike the ball with (:01) left on the clock. But Lecce’s pass from the Panthers 29-yard line intended for Chris Miller in the end zone was broken up by Ryan Boyd, and Upper St. Clair was able to hold onto the 21-14 win. For Erie McDowell, seeded sixth in the Quad-A Tournament, its second official season in the WPIAL ends at (8-3). The Panthers have now won eight straight games since a week three loss to North Allegheny. #3 Upper St. Clair (10-1) moves into the AAAA semifinal round for the first time since 2006. Upper St. Clair, who won WPIAL and PIAA championships in that season, will face second seeded Pittsburgh Central Catholic next Friday night at a sight to be determined. The last time the Panthers and Vikings met on the gridiron was 2004, also in the Quad-A semifinals, with Pittsburgh Central gaining a 20-12 victory over Upper St. Clair at Canon-McMillan High School. 

WPIAL CLASS AAA Quarterfinals:

Central Valley Warriors  44  –  Ringgold Rams  28  
Six different Central Valley Warriors scored enroute to a 44-28 win over the Ringold Rams. The Warriors led 21-0 midway thru the first quarter including a 99 yard pass play from Curtis Lewis to Robert Foster. They would lead 41-14 at the half. On the night  Central Valley amassed over 500 total yards. The win puts Central Valley in the semi finals for the second consecutive year and will mark the third time they will face Montour in the past year having beaten the Spartans last November in the WPIAL finals and earlier this year 27-16.

Montour Spartans  31  –  West Mifflin Titans  7  
The Montour Spartans (9-2) knocked off the West Mifflin Titans (9-2) by a 31-7 score at Baldwin Stadium to advance to the WPIAL AAA Semifinals for the third time in the last five seasons.  West Mifflin, playing without injured two-way standout LB/FB Kevin Clarke (thigh), could not take advantage of red-zone opportunities early in the game with their opening 15-play drive stalling at the 3-yard line and their second series ending on a Tyree Atkinson fumble at the 15-yard line.  Then, Montour’s offense got going.  After settling for a 25-yard Nate Dearth field goal, the Spartans scored before intermission with quarterback Dillon Buechel capping a 41-yard drive on a 6-yard TD pass to tight end Aaron Reed.  And on the opening drive of the third quarter, tailback Julian Durden juked in from 6-yards out to increase the lead to 17-0.  Darren Massey got in the action with TD catches from 35 and 26-yards away, sandwiched around a Massey interception in the endzone on the defensive side.  A 12-yard Shamar Greene touchdown run against Montour’s second team defense broke the shutout, with Greene finishing a 24-carry night with 106-yards rushing in the losing effort.  Buechel finished 12 of 18 passing for 192 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 34 TD passes on the season.  Durden’s totals were 20 totes for 128-yards.  The Spartans got the win without a standout of their own, as DT/RT Dom Martinelli sat out the contest with a high ankle sprain.

Franklin Regional Panthers  24  –  Hopewell Vikings  21  
Franklin Regional was down 21-7 late into the third quarter before mounting a amazing comeback to remain unbeaten thru 11 games.  The 24-21 victory over Hopewell was generated by Quarterback Nico Lodovico….who tossed two scoring passes to Cory Lauer…the final one from 55 yards away which tied the WPIAL AAA Quarterfinal game at 21 with 10:09 remaining.  7-4 Hopewell was determined to push on despite the 14 point Panther run with a drive of their own from their 20 which eventually stalled at the Franklin Regional 21 with a fumble…the only Viking turnover of the night.  The Panthers made sure to cash it in…methodically moving the ball into field goal range for Mike Roberge, who nailed his 1st 3-point of the year to ensure the win.  The comback overshadowed the exploits of the WPIAL Rushing Champ Rushel Shell….who set two more records in his final high school contest.  Shell ran 33 times for 292 yards and all 3 Hopewell scores.  He broke the national mark of consecutive 100 yards games…extending the string to 39 in a row…and also became the all-time rushing king in Pennsylvania History..surpassing Jeremiah Young's mark of 9,027 yards.  The Pitt recruit finished with 9,179 yards  Unbeaten Franklin Regional will meet another 11-0 team…Knoch…in the WPIAL AAA semis next Friday evening.

Knoch Knights  31  –  Thomas Jefferson Jaguars  9  
The Knoch Knights advanced on to the WPIAL Class AAA Semi-Finals for the first time since 2007 with an impressive victory over the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 31-9 Friday night at Plum High School.  The loss for T.J. brings to an end their amazing run of 13-years of making the semi-final round.  Knoch opened the scoring with a 33 yard field goal by Kory Wood, then added a 1st quarter touchdown on a 52 yard pass from senior quarterback Ky Kenyon  to fellow senior Mac Magahan.  Kenyon recorded his second TD pass of the game midway through the 2nd quarter when he hit junior Dakota Bruggeman on a 33 yard strike to put the Knights up 17-0.  T.J. had a chance to make a comeback starting with a late interception in the first half that led to their only touchdown of the night, a 5-yard toss from Dom Presto to Zach Schademan.  But the Jaguars, who got the ball to start the second half, fumbled a punt snap at their own 7 yard line setting up another Knoch score early in the second half.  Kenyon and McGahan hooked up for their second TD of the night with a 5-yard toss that put Knoch up 24-7.  The Knights put the game away in the fourth quarter with two interceptions, one returned 75 yards for a score by senior Sam Montgomery.  The Jaguars, who were stopped on 4th down four times inside the Knoch 25 on the night, tallied a safety late in the fourth quarter to make the final score 31-9.  The Knights will face former GAC foe Franklin Regional next Friday night – both teams are 11-0.

WPIAL CLASS AA Quarterfinals:

Aliquippa Quips  36  –  Washington Little Prexies  6  
Aliquippa scored three times in a little over five minutes in the opening quarter on the way to a 36-6 win over Washington. After punting on the opening possession and getting the ball back on a holding call, the Quips took full advantage. Six plays after the penalty, Dravon Henry sprinted in from 27 yards, then added the two-point run to put Aliquippa up 8-0. Malik Shegog picked off a Josh Wise pass on third-and-nine.  Two plays later, Mikal Hall hit Kaylan Kenney on a 45-yard scoring strike. Three minutes later, a skittering snap on a punt attempt gave Aliquippa the ball at the WHS 29-yard line.  Davion Hall broke free on a deep post and scored to make it 22-0. The Quips (11-0) delivered a knock-out punch with two seconds to play in the half.  Hall pulled in 38-yard td pass in a jumpball at the goal line and Aliquippa took a 29-0 lead into the locker room. Washington (8-3) forced two Aliquippa punts in the third quarter and scored between them, Jaylin Kelly catching an 18-yard-pass from Wise.  Devon Walker's 3-yard run closed the scoring halfway through the final period. Aliquippa held Washington to 21 yards rushing and 65 yards total offense.  Mikal Hall completed just three passes but for 112 yards and all three for touchdowns.  Terry Swanson rushed for 74 yards after Henry went out with a leg cramp and didn't return, missing the second half.

Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions  18  –  Ellwood City Wolverines  15
In a defensive battle at Valley’s Memorial Field, the Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions defeated the Ellwood City Wolverines to move on once again to the semifinals. Bobby Noble tossed a 16 yard touchdown pass to Justin Kempka with 2:58 remaining for the go-ahead score. The Wolverines had taken the lead just under three minutes earlier with another one of Head Coach Don Phillips trick plays, a double pass from fullback Beau Ewing to Kyle Crawford for a 60 yard touchdown and a 15-10 lead. The Centurions took the opening kickoff, but the drive stalled out and Ellwood City held on downs after GCC tried a fake punt. The Wolverines got a field goal from Scott Lewis of 35 yards to take a 3-0 lead after one quarter. Greensburg Central Catholic drove down the field on the next possession, Jordan McCue scored on a 2 yard run to put GCC up 7-3. The Wolverines answered late in the half, Crawford scoring on a 7 yard run and a 9-7 halftime lead. Neither team scored in the third quarter, it looked like GCC was going to take the lead when Noble hit Travis Andering with a long bomb, but Seth Mley punched the ball out from behind at the 20 yard line, Crawford recovered at the five to end the threat. Disaster almost struck for Lincoln High early in the fourth, Crawford fielded a low punt snap with a knee on the ground at the Ellwood City 7, but the defense rallied and held GCC to a field goal. The Wolverines took the lead back on the next possession on the trick play, Crawford made a huge adjustment on the under thrown pass for the touchdown. The Wolverines committed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the touchdown, forcing the kickoff to move back to the 25. Zach Geiser got a great return into Ellwood City territory, Noble hit three consecutive pass attempts, including the go-ahead score to Kempka. Geiser made a one-handed catch on the two point try to give GCC a three point lead. Julian Cox was able to run for a first down for Ellwood City to keep the hopes alive, those ended when Seth Warburton stepped in front of a Cox pass to seal the win for the Centurions. GCC had only 210 yards of offense, McCrae was held to 42 yards on 13 carries. Noble was 4 of 12 in the first half but finished strong to end up 8 of 20 for 133 yards. GCC is now 10-1 on the season. Crawford scored twice, but ran for only 25 yards on 14 attempts, he did have three catches for 72 yards. Ellwood City gained only 209 yards of offense, the Wolverines finish at 7-4.

Jeannette Jayhawks  35  –  Shady Side Academy Indians  14  
The #2 seed Jeannette Jayhawks led by Demetrious Cox's four touchdowns, three rushing and one passing, beat the #7 seed Shady Side Academy Indians, who were without QB/RB/DB Reggie Mitchell 35-14 in the quarterfinals Friday night at Norwin Knights Stadium.
Mitchell, the Wisconsin recruit, was in street clothes on the sideline for an unknown reason, which proved to be a huge loss for the Indians. The Jayhawks had the only score of the 1st quarter at 4:45 on a Demetrious Cox 22 yard TD pass to Shavonta Craft capping an 11 play 80 yd drive. Jeannette would score twice in the second quarter on a pair of Demetrious Cox touchdowns runs of 52 and 53 yards respectively extending the lead to 21-0. The 52 yarder came at 10:24 capping a 7 play 73 yard drive and the 53 yarder was at 3:44 completing a 8 play 97 yard drive. Shady Side Academy would get on the board at 1:15 before the half on a Matt Granato 57 yard TD pass to Ryan Reynolds making the score 21-7 Jayhawks at the half. The Indians got within seven points at the start of the 3rd quarter on a Matt Granato 36 yard TD run at the 7 min mark capping a 6 play 68 yd drive. But, Jeannette would answer two plays later when Shavonta Craft broke a 70 yd TD run making the score 28-14 after three. The Jayhawks would add one score in the 4th a Cox 9 yard TD run making the final 35-14. Jeannette is now 11-0 and will face the #3 seed  11-0 Seton La Salle Rebels next Friday night in the semifinals. Shady Side Academy finishes the season at 8-3.

Seton-LaSalle Rebels  21  –  South Fayette Lions  13  
The big question entering Friday night's showdown between these two Allegheny Conference rivals was whether senior quarterback John Lerda would return from injury to lead South Fayette (7-4, 5-2) or if the ball would remain in the hands of freshman Brett Brumbaugh. The latter occurred, setting up a "Brumbaugh Bowl" in the 2011 WPIAL Quarterfinals with older brother Luke helming the Seton-LaSalle (11-0, 7-0) offense. Mistakes would plague the younger of the two, but it was running back Kevin Hart who led the Rebels' charge to unseat the defending Class AA champions. Seton opened the contest at Peters Township High School with a 7:10 opening drive culminating in a one-yard plunge for Hart, and Dom DelGreco's kick made it 7-0. It became a two-touchdown lead when Nick Sywyj picked off a pass late in the second quarter and ran it back 30 yards. The kick would fail, though, and the Lions finally got the ball into the hands of their most dangerous offensive weapon on the ensuing drive. Zach Challingsworth would start it off with a 41-yard run and finish the job with a 12-yard TD reception. Tyler Yee's kick made it 13-7 at recess. Challingsworth got it done on special teams midway through the third quarter, pinning Seton at the one, leading to what looked like a safety, but the referees granted a generous spot to Luke Brumbaugh just outside the goal line. Hart would parlay that into his biggest play of the night, a 46-yard touchdown run, and the two-point pass made it 21-7 entering the final quarter. Just when all hope seemed lost for the Lions, Brumbaugh and Challingsworth connected again on a seven-yard score with 2:22 remaining. Although Yee would miss the extra point thanks mostly to a bad snap, he would make up for it with a perfectly placed onside kick, giving South Fayette possession at midfield. Unfortunately, an untimely holding penalty and a final interception ended the comeback threat to guarantee a new gold medalist in Class AA. Hart carried the ball a staggering 41 times for 269 yards to lead the Rebels. Brett Brumbaugh ended the night 18 of 34 for 150 yards and a total of four interceptions. Despite his two scores, Challingsworth only touched the football on offense nine times for 87 total yards. Seton-LaSalle will face fellow unbeaten team Jeannette in the Semifinals next week.

WPIAL CLASS A Quarterfinals:

Clairton Bears  34  –  Springdale Dynamos  20  
Clairton pushed its win streak to 42 games and grabbed its 14th straight win in the playoffs but it wasn't without one of its toughest challenges of the season. Springdale was able to push the ball down the field all game long, but it was the Clairton's defense who stepped up to make enough plays to allow its offense to get the separation it needed to advance to the semi-finals. The first score of the game came on an 11 play, 83 yard drive, as Capri Thompson had to do a somersault into the end zone from 11 yards out on a 4th and goal play to put Clairton up 6-0 (after a failed two point conversion). Springdale would counter with a 12 play drive that would take them down to the Bears 25 yard line before turning it over on downs. Clairton would then drive down the field on its next possession but it was the Dynamos who came up with a big play, as Matt Weber intercepted a Capri Thompson pass (the only Clairton offensive possession that did not result in a touchdown) to get the ball back. Springdale would then drive down the field getting all the way down to the Bears 1 yard line before turning it over once again on downs. Clairton would then take over and go 96 yards on 11 plays where they got a Tyler Boyd six yard touchdown run and even though they missed the two point conversion it was 12-0 Clairton leading at the half. The second half was nothing but lighting up the scoreboard at that point. Every offensive possession led to touchdowns for both teams, as they each scored 3 touchdowns. Getting into the end zone was Tyler Boyd on 46 yard and 54 yard touchdown runs as well as a Thompson five yard score. For Springdale it was Chris Liberto with a three yard run, Sean Dugan with a one yard score, and Joe Killian hitting Don Haney on an eight yard touchdown pass (their first pass attempt was the touchdown, happening at the 4:11 mark in the 3rd quarter). Despite the scores allowed on what has been a lights out defense, as well as the 14 penalties committed by the Bears, Clairton was able to advance into yet another semi-final game where they will play a familiar foe in Rochester.

Rochester Rams  26  –  Avonworth Antelopes  22  
DeAndre Moon rushed for three touchdowns including a 1-yard run with 6:32 to go in the fourth quarter to lift the Rochester Rams to a 26-22 victory over the Avonworth Antelopes Friday night in a WPIAL A quarterfinal game.  Moon ran 42 yards for his second score to give the Rams a 13-0 lead with 1:12 left in the first period.  But, the Antelopes drove 90 yards with quarterback Brian Vales scoring on a 5-yard run to pull his team within 13-7.  Rochester signal caller Ben Richko scored on a 1-yard run with 35 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Rams a 19-7 halftime advantage.  However, Vales ran 53 yards to pay dirt with just 50 ticks gone by in the third period to close the gap to five points, 19-14.  Avonworth took its only lead of the evening on a 1-yard run by tailback Ricky Lawniczak with 11:21 left in the fourth.  A pass to Lawniczak for a 2-point conversion gave the Antelopes a 22-19 lead.  The Rams faced a first down and 20 yards to go before Richko threw a 43-yard pass to Quintin Goettman to set up Moon's winning score.  Moon now has a season total of 190 points as 10-1 Rochester advances to the semifinals to face Clairton, which owns a 42-game winning streak.  Avonworth finished at 9-2 and saw its season end for the second straight year to the Rams at Ambridge's Moe Rubenstein Stadium.  The Antelopes fell to Rochester in last year's WPIAL semifinals. 

Sto-Rox Vikings  40  –  Brentwood Spartans  0  
The #2-aeeded Sto-Rox Vikings carried the momentum of a 69-25 blowout of Frazier into the quarterfinal matchup with the 7th-seeded Brentwood Spartans, who themselves came back from a 12-7 halftime deficit to eliminate Western Beaver in the opening round on the Highway to Heinz.  The Vikings did not waste any time putting points on the board afterr they took the opening kickoff to the Brentwood 35.  On the first play from scrimmage and just 26 seconds into the game, QB Lenny Williams and WR Kevin Hooper connected on a 35-yard TD pass.  Sto-Rox went for 2, but failed on the pass, and they were quickly out to a 6-0 lead.  Brentwood was more methodical on their first drive of the game, being able to move on the ball on the ground against the Vikings' suspect run defense, but Sto-Rox, in a trend that would continue throughout the game, would stop the run at pivotal times on each drive and force the Spartans into throwing the football.  The Spartans' drive would stall at the Vikings' 30, snd they would trn the ball over on downs.  Sto-Rox would then take the ball 70 yards on 10 plays, culminating with a Marzett Geter 9-yard TD end around.  Again, the 2-point conversion faild, and the Vikes led 12-0.  After a Brentwood punt, the Vikings would take only 1:39 to put up their next score.  On the final play of the 1st Qtr, Williams would throw a 49-yard strike to Dontez Ford, who caught the ball in between 2 Spartans' defenders inside the 10, and ran it in the rest of the way.  the 2-point conversion was again missed, and the Vikings led 18-0 after 1.  They would take advantage of a Chris Shortley interception and turn their next possession inanother TD as RB Brendan Blair, who filled in for the injured Josh Beverly, took a screen pass and followed his blockers all the way down the right side of the field 56 yards for the TD.  This time, however, the 2-pointer was made, nd the Vikings increased their lead to 26-0.  That score would hold at halftime, and Sto-Rox would take advantage of another turnover as Brentwood fumbled the opening kickoff of the 2nd half.  The Vikings would take just three plays to march down the field, and Williams would finish off the drive with a 2-yard TD run.  Again, they would make the 2-point conversion, and they led 34-0.  Another fumble by Brentwood led to the final score of the game for Sto-Rox as they took 10 plays to go 64 yards.  Deaysean Rippy capped off the drive with a 5-yard TD reception from Williams.  They missed the 2-pointer, and that made the score 40-0.  the Mercy Rule was in effect the rest of the way, but there was no further scoring, and the Sto-Rox Vikings move on to the Calss A Semifinals where they will face another undefeated squad, the Bishop Canevin Crusaders.  Lenny Williams finished with over 200 yards passing and 4 TD's.  He also ran in for another score.  Brentwood QB Chris Shortley was sacked three times and intercepted three times.  Sto-Rox is now 11-0 on the season, while the Spartans' season ends at 9-2.

Bishop Canevin Crusaders  16  –  Fort Cherry Rangers  6  
For the second year in a row, Bishop Canevin eliminates Ft. Cherry from the WPIAL football playoffs. The Crusaders defense forced 5 turnovers, four in the second half, on their way to a 16-6 victory. Bishop Canevin scored on their first two possessions, both the result of 14-play drives. Jacob Schnelbach booted a 26-yard field goal to give the crusaders a 3-0 lead. Then quarterback Kevin Meches tossed a 26-yard td pass to Bobby Gustine to up the lead to 10-0. The rangers put together a 12-play, 54-yard drive, with Tanner Garry scoring from 1-yard out to make the score 10-6 with 4:57 left in the first half. Ft. Cherry failed on a 2-point conversion. The only score of the second half, came after Bishop Canevin’s Alec Lardieri intercepted a Garry pass at the FC 34-yard line. Eight plays later, Casey McCaffrey scored his 25 rushing touchdown of the year, a three-yard run. The crusaders missed the extra point, but let 16-6 with 6:10 left in the game. Ft. Cherry appeared to score a touchdown late in the game, but an illegal procedure penalty wiped out the score. Two sacks and in incomplete pass turned the ball back over for BC to run out the clock, and claim a berth in the semi-finals next week against Sto Rox. Mechas led Bishop Canevin, completing 8 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.  

Tags: Aliquippa, Bishop Canevin, Clairton, Franklin Regional, Gateway, Greensburg C.C., Jeannette, Knoch, Upper St. Clair